discussion My layout in the making

[Guest]

You certainly have got off to a good start... are you going DCC or the conventional wiring route? ... jules

 

[Guest]

Are you an Insulfrog or Electrofrogman? I'm told that with DCC it doesn't matter. I have rather a large collection of steam locos, kit-built and RTR, so 'chipping' them all isn't going to be cheap...there's a dilema.

I'm at the planning stage, having torn up the tracks from what is now the ex's house, my present abode is a New-build. I'm must have a word with Charles Church and ask them to re-think their roof construction as they've used far too much wood in way too many directions...it looks too flimsy to me...nah! too risky. They don't build 'em like they used to...

Garage!....Here I come!!!....

 

[dynamite25]

Hi Jules I am wiring the layout for DCC and but on the removable Hinged section I have done wiring for DCC and DC as I will be running DC till I can afford to fit out all my Locos with Decoders,which will be towards the end of the year as I will be spending the money on getting the layout built so decoders are the last thing to get for the layout.

I have used all hornby small Points which are Inslufrog points but Inslufrog points are not good for 0-4-0 locos as they have less pick-ups so stop when they run slow over the dead frog of Inslufrog points,but I won't have any 0-4-0 locos on my layout so I am ok but will be having 0-6-0 locos which have more pick-ups so they are ok and all my other locos are fine running over them.

My next layout which will be the same size but wider at 10ft will have all Peco Streamline Inslufrog Points as I like the ease of wiring they offer.

 

[dynamite25]

Work has restarted on my layout in between me being away on holiday as my parents have put the caravan on a camp site for all of may so I am away this weekend and from the 22nd to the 31st but after may I will be working on it every day,also since I last posted last year I haven't really got much done due to my back problem but have done some track changes near the first incline for the new upper level track plan.

Next week I will wire all the lower point motors up and make the switch board but I still need to get four Hornby point motors for the lower level which I will order Sunday when I get back from Wales,then I can start on the upper track work and have more trains running.

I have been buying things here and there for the layout which I now have four Peco train sheds for my layout and four inspection pits.

I will post the new track plan next week.

 

[dynamite25]

Here is my new track plan for the upper level and is roughly how the track will be laid,I did try and do the plan with peco streamline small points and long crossing but I couldn't get all the track in so I have kept to Hornby setrack points and crossing but my next layout will be alot wider at 8ft or 10ft so I can use peco all the way as the length will still be 20ft.

My station now curves around the layout with a small town above it and my Diesel depot is now in on the hinged section which has four peco train shed units on it instead of only two,and I still have some room to add to it like an area to house my steam loco which might go in the bottom right corner above the incline and lower tracks.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/dynamite26/plan1.png

 

[dynamite25]

I've managed to get some work done on the layout finally but I want to show how the lower mainline tracks were last year.

And this is how they are now because I need to have the second incline on the inside from the upper level so it can join back up to the lower track.

And now for work that has been done this week.

First I wanted to lengthen the incline to the upper level by two feet.

I also fitted two point motors to the points that enter the hidden tracks on the far side of the layout.

And two more Point motors two these two points.

And the motors fitted to the points.

Tomorrow I will be mainly cleaning the loft up and then when I get back on my Hols I will wire all the lower point motors up to the control panel which I still have to build.

 

[dynamite25]

Just spent £155.50 online with Hattons model shop for:

10x Hornby point motors

3x Peco LK-20X Double length overall arched station roof

3x Peco PL-26B Passing Contact Switch - Black Lever

8x Peco PL-26W Passing Contact Switch - White Lever

4x Peco PL-28 6 Switch Mounting Plates for PL26

1x Peco SYH01 "Shows You How" Series - Layout planning & design as I haven't got this one as I haven't been buying the mag for over a year.

But I still need another 20 Hornby Point motors but I'll get 10 more at the end of this month then the rest next month.

 

[dynamite25]

Well the bits I ordered from Hattons came today so I can now get on with finishing the lower level and get all the point motors wired up but can't do anything till monday as I need to get 2 sheets of 3mm ply for my control panel on Saturday while at my sisters,then I hope to have 3 quarters of the upper level done before I go away on the 19th of August as I will have all the point motors to fit to all the points on the station side of the layout.

Anyway heres a pic of the things I ordered.

Plus I can now pull my CMX track cleaner 10 months after I bought it as I have bought some Kadee couplings at last.

 

[Guest]

What I would give for a layout, and space for one, like this. Great work Steven.

 

[dynamite25]

Today I have started on my control panel which was going to be just 4ft x 2ft as I was going to have the full track plan both lower and upper levels printed on a smaller scale to fit the the 4ft x 2ft board,and I was going to number all the points and the switches but decided that it was going to be hard to look for the number on the track plans to know which switch to throw.

So I decided to just print the section I really needed so I went on the XTrkCAD and removed the track I didn't need and connect the rest of the track together and printed out to a size that looked the right size for the switches,so the track on the plan is the size of N Gauge track and the lower level plan measures 5 feet 5 inches so my control panel as now grown to 5 feet 5 inches x 2 feet to house both lower and upper plans.

So first I got some sheets of A3 paper and taped them together.

I then glued the track plans to the paper.

Then I placed the switch plates on to the plans to see what it look like and it looks ok.

I just need to cut the two MDF sheets to size now and make the frame for them,then screw them to the frame and stick the plans to the board and then fit all the switch.Then I can wire the point motors up and then finally get on with the upper level.

 

[dynamite25]

Well I have spent the last two days building my control panel and had a few problems on the way as I had to reprint the lower section again as the first one went on wrong when I was sticking it down on the double sided tape so I had to rip it up,and when I used the new one I had a bit of a problem with this one too as when I was sticking the top half on the lower section I got a bit of a bump in it so I had to cut it in a few places to flatten it out.

And I was going to redo the upper one as well as I wasn't happy with it but I used it anyway after having trouble with the second print out of the lower section,as I was getting tired and wasn't up to making a new upper section so I just used the first one I made up.

Anyway I finally got both stuck to the MDF sheets yesterday and today I cut all the holes for the switches using my Router as it was easier and quicker.

And here are some photos of the finished control panel in place above my control area.

 

[dynamite25]

Well since my last update I now have got another over roof to add to the other three I bought and another 13 point motors but still need another 4 switches and 5 point motors and 5 Points to complete the upper level,and I now have wired all the lower level point motors up and they all work a treat.

Also over the weekend I started on the upper level but have now ran out of green and yellow wire to wire my point motors up so I will order some more next Monday as I am away for 5 days from Friday,but I managed to wire three sets of points up on the upper level before I ran out of wire.

Here are three pics of the first bit of track on the upper level,Also the brick wall will be boxed in to hide it.

In these last two I have made a cut out in the baseboard so I have access to the point motors and track below but I will have a removable section over it so it is hidden.

 

[Guest]

With hornby and i think peco the tracks have to be 67mm apart centre to centre hope that helps.Also i lot has changed since my first posted on here about layout some of the track work has changed as other things too have changed.

I accidently put the tracks to close together on my layout but I will fix them soon. Thanks for the advice!

Sulzer.

 

[dynamite25]

Hi Sulzer the 67mm track spacing is for setrack only as I forgot to say that in that post as that is what I am using and if your using Peco streamline points then the track spacing is much closer together at 50mm.

 

[dynamite25]

Well guy's I'm back after a crappy two years and I will be starting back on the layout tomorrow or Tuesday as for the last few days I have been sorting the loft out as it's been used as a dumping ground for the last 2 years and I also got rid of some things to make space for stuff out of the spare room as my sister is moving back home with her 2 young daughters as her husband is coming out of the army but he won't be out till next year,so she is moving here this month for 12 months then hopefully she will have her own place to live with her husband and 2 daughters next year when he is out but she could be living here longer.

I have also had new carpet fitted in the loft as we had some carpet left over from when the spare room was done,so I have a nice blue carpet down now and I laid it over the old carpet to give me a softer feeling under my feet.

Any way back to the layout I have decided to reprint the track plan for the control panel as I did a really bad job the first time on part of it so that will be sorted next month as I need some things to do it but don't have the money yet,this week I will cut all the plywood for the upper level and also I will start on the second incline to the upper level and then I can lay the track down.

I hope to have the rest of the track down and wired by the end of October so I can start running trains again but the track will need cleaning first with my cmx track cleaner.

 

[Guest]

All the best and good luck with your new project!!

Since it has changed everything! I passed entire days doing drawings to measure the circuit, insurance that now in 10 minuts in front of the PC is made...

It does very little we wanted to return to compose a circuit with my father, but for work and time returns to be quite in boxes.

Is it a standard track? Does she accept digital locomotives?

The new systems do of everything, calculate all the alternatives and variants! But not that is ... but it does not convince me.

Regards

 

[dynamite25]

Hi Pink Panther thanks but I'm not starting a new layout it's the same one I have been building since 2005,the track hasn't been fully wired up on the lower level so I can run DC or DCC trains but once all wired up all trains will be DCC.

My sister moving back home with her 2 daughters won't stop me working on the layout as I can lock myself away up there so I won't be disturb but can only work on the layout till 6 pm as the girls will be in bed at 6:30 pm,so I am going to try and get as much done this week before my sister is here as she will be here this Friday.

 

[Guest]

Understand!! Thank you Steven.

 

[dynamite25]

Hi guy's it update time on my layout yay I managed to take some photos quickly as my nieces were going bed at 6:30 pm so I will take some more tomorrow.

Anyway first photo shows the main lines on the hinged section which were only pinned in a few places so I can mark out the holes for the point motors then the track will be lifted up to fitted the point motors then laid back down and permanently pinned in place.

The next first photos are of the big curves that will be under the town area which I managed to finish today.

and a overall view of that area and excuse the mess on the right.

The control panel will be redone sometime next month.

I'll me glad when all the wood work is done and track laid as the loft is a mess the other side,and I need to buy some more flexi track next month and some more cork as I got a little left of each.